Hana walked home from school alone again. It hadn't been that long, but everything had changed. Hana spent more and more time alone, with thoughts that she didn't want to deal with alone or not, while her older sister Roku did her best to keep them afloat.

Their mother had passed away not that long ago, shortly after Roku's 18th birthday. It had been a shock, they weren't expecting it. The jar to their lives and their systems wasn't something they were prepared to handle. Hana had to stop going to her after school classes, and her extra lessons in dance, and music lessons, but she still practices at home. She knows that they can't afford for her to keep going to them. It didn't really bother Hana that she doesn't have those lessons anymore. It allowed her more time for her school work, which since she dropped her extra classes she has excelled to the top of her class.

What bothered her was that she had hoped that the fewer lessons would mean more time with her sister. But that didn't happen Roku had to work a lot just for them to be able to afford the small apartment they now shared. Sighing the young teen unlocked the front door, calling,"I'm home." to no one and made her way into their small living space.

She changed out of her school uniform and into her street clothes, did her home work and started dinner. While it was cooking she took their laundry down to the buildings laundry room, so that her sister had clean clothes for tomorrow,

"Poor Roku" She said noticing the stains and other grim on her clothes, "She works to hard." The younger girl worried about her sister all the time and she hoped that something good would happen soon. They needed a break.

The laundry done and dinner ready, Hana waited for her sister to return from her afternoon shift.

((sorry for the text wall XD))

Today's shift had been rougher on Roku than normal. 

Normally it was the same thing every day at the factory. Clock in, work, clock out for lunch, clock back in for the rest of the day, clock out and go home. But today was different. In her sleep deprived mental state, she had forgotten to clock out for lunch and the boss had ridden her ass all day for it. And he had docked her half a days pay for it, no matter the protests or promises that Roku had spewed at him. 

She was just clocking out of her shift when the boss came up next to her. He was a fat man that wore glasses and too much aftershave. He was also the type that didn't bother with a wig and instead decided to rock a comb-over. Sighing internally, Roku straightened up and faced the man, preparing herself for more derogatory insults. 

But instead, the fat man looked at her with a sort of hunger. His small beady eyes traveled up and down her body, examining every inch and curve of her. It made her feel disgusting and exposed to have him staring at her in such a way so she decided to try and get his attention to divert. "I-Is there something I can do for you sir?" 

He looked up at her face finally and smirked a little. "Yeah, actually there is something you can do for me sugar." He licked his lips and leaned in closer to her. Whispering he said, "If you really want me to give you back the other half of your day's pay, you can stick around and let me have a little fun with ya." 

Roku could have swore she puked in her mouth a little. 

How dare he insinuate that she would be willing do something so nasty for half a day's pay. She wanted to punch him in the face so bad she twitched a little with the urge, but restrained herself knowing that if she were fired now she would have an extremely hard time finding another job. Especially considering the lies that this man would no doubt say about her. 

So she held herself together and instead politely declined his offer. "I'm sorry sir, but I can't do that. I have other things to attend to this evening." Bowing to him politely she turned and walked away, the boss sniggering from behind her. "Yeah you keep walking sugar. It may not be tonight but one night I'll corner you and make you give in." He laughed heartily to himself and she walked down the corridor and out to the safety of her run down car. 

Once she was safely there she let the shivers run down her spine like waves and even let out a scream of anger, disgust, and frustration. She knew he would keep tormenting her that way until he got what he wanted from her. And there was nothing she could do about it. No one she could turn to. She was just a lowly factory worker. No one cared about her.

Blinking back the tears that threatened to flow she chastised herself for wallowing in her own misery. She wasn't the only one going through hard times right now. Someone very close to her was in the same slowly sinking boat she was. 

Hana. 

Throwing the car into drive she raced home eager to see her little sister. She wanted to hold her and know that she was doing ok. She hated leaving her alone so much but working double shifts at the factory was all she could do to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. 

She parked the car and walked up the apartment complex to their tiny little corner of the building. Unlocking the door she walked in and called out, "Hana? Hana I'm home." Taking another step forward she was stopped by a wonderful aroma creeping under her nose. "Oh my god Hana whatever you're making in there smells divine."

Hana peeked around the corner from the kitchen and smiled. "Hey Awa!"She exclaimed. "Thanks! I tried something new." She did the best she could with what they had and usually she did well. The younger teen sighed. "Dad called again." She said pointing to the blinking light. "I really wasn't here to answer it this time." She defended herself since last time she was home alone and their father called, she hadn't answered.

Their father was american and while she loved him, she didn't want to leave Japan. She'd only known this little part of Tokyo, and for her it was the world. He kept asking them to come live with him and she knew that if Awa said they would Hana would have little choice but to follow or beg to live in the school dorms instead. Maybe Awa was waiting for the summer break between years to move them, but all the still Hana knew that her sister had seriously started thinking about moving to America.

"I was at school it had just let out too." She said knowing that the time stamp on the message would more than confirm her story but she didn't want her sister to lecture her again. Last time she didn't answer was right after the event, she had taken to calling it, and the young girl didn't want to talk to anyone just yet. The shock hadn't worn off for her then. "He asked you to call him back." She paused the ladle in hand, she looked up at her sister, "Awa are we going to go?" She asked, not sure if she wanted the answer or not.

Roku sighed out loud when Hana mentioned the voicemail waiting for her. Yet again, it was their father pushing them to move to the States and live with him. She knew he meant well and just wanted to help but his constant pushing was starting to grate on her nerves. She'd told him to give her time to think about it and while he'd say he would he didn't stop pushing. 

She chuckled at Hana's insisting that she wasn't here. The last time she hadn't answered the phone on purpose and Roku had given her a strong lecture about how rude that was. While he might be annoying he was their father and they should respect him as such. 

She had thought long and hard about his offer. She was very tempted to take him up on it but a part of her didn't want to leave her home. She'd grown up in this town and was hesitant to leave it for the strange worlds beyond its limits. But another part of her craved to go out and explore what else was out there, and the rational part of her knew she wouldn't be able to keep this apartment, or her job, for long. 

Then there was Hana. Roku knew she didn't want to leave. She could see it on her face whenever their father called. It pained her because she wanted to stay for Hana but she knew they needed to leave because of their financial situation. 

Shaking her head she tried to forget it all for the moment. "I'm not sure yet Hana. But let's not worry about it for now. Let's just sit down and enjoy this wonderful meal you've made."

Hana didn't want to see her sister worry so she pushed aside all the thoughts that held her back aside and served dinner. As she sat back, a thought occurred to her. "Why does't he move here?" she asked more herself than her sister, but still the question remained, why didn't their father if he was so worried move here to help them. What was in America that kept him from traveling there when he needed. Hana hadn't been able to forgive him for not coming to their mother's service, and now he was pushing them to leave the one safe place they had, Tokyo.

Hana did want to see the rest of the world there was no doubt there, but she didn't want to move. She always wanted Tokyo to be her home. The place she could always come back to the one place she felt safest and at home. If She left and came back, she would be one of other Japanese American girls that left and came back and were too western. Hana didn't know how she felt about that idea, she was a very traditional girl for 14.

She smiled and shook off the thought and the question. She didn't want to have a fight over dinner. There was some reason or another that their father couldn't move to Tokyo and Hana didn't fight that matter at all. She wasn't totally sure how she felt about the man that called himself their father anyway. Besides, he and their mother had never married, Mom never told them why either.

"So," Hana started. She needed her sister to sign something for school the permission slip for the field trip, but at the same time Hana wasn't sure she really want to go. She would almost rather stay at school and read or study. There was the band room and she was still part of the school band, she could practice. Besides she didn't really want to deal with the other kids from her class. They had all been strange since the event, some going as far to bully her now that her mother was gone. She sported bruises on her arms and torso from the encounters with them. "I need you to sign this." She said pulling her bag over and digging out the paper. "It's for the field trip later this week." She said sliding it across the table, her sleeve ridding up just a bit, but enough to reveal the darkening bruise from her encounter with one of her bullies that afternoon on her way home. "If it's all the same thought, " She said her arm still stretched out, "I'd rather not go, but stay at school and practice or study instead." She said sitting back.